Tolan is a character in an app for Apple devices. Hallie is a text thread on iPhone and Android.
Hallie is an AI friend you text, with no app to install: she’s in iMessage on iPhone and Google Messages on Android (new Android sign-ups need a US number for now), keeps track of the people and plans you mention, and brings them up later. Tolan is an app where you meet an AI character you can see, style and talk to by voice, and its help center says it works on Apple devices.
Hallie is an AI friend you text in Messages. She remembers what you tell her.
Meet HallieFacts about Tolan checked on November 11, 2026 against Tolan’s own site, help center and App Store listing; facts about Hallie checked on November 11, 2026. We make Hallie, and she’s our pick. Sources are at the bottom of the page.
The difference, in one line each
- Tolan: an app for Apple devices where you meet an AI character you can see and style, and talk to by text or voice, with video chat on paid plans.
- Hallie: an AI friend in iMessage or Google Messages, on iPhone and Android, who keeps track of the people and plans you mention and brings them up later. There’s no app to install.
In Tolan’s own words
Tolan is an app where you meet your own friendly guide through everyday life: a delightfully designed, AI-powered character who listens, checks in, and finds ways to help—even before you ask.
Source: Tolan FAQ, tolans.com, checked November 11, 2026
Tolan is made by Portola, which describes itself as a small team based primarily in San Francisco. Its FAQ calls Tolan “an AI companion”, and its homepage says the experience is meant to feel warm and natural “without pretending to be human.”
On devices, Tolan’s help center says: “Tolan works on Apple devices, including iPhone, iPad and Mac. Download it from the App Store”. Tolan’s site offers an App Store download only.
Sources: Tolan FAQ and homepage, tolans.com; Tolan Help Center, “Logging in, Logging out, and Switching Devices”; checked November 11, 2026
Tolan and Hallie, side by side
| Tolan | Hallie | |
|---|---|---|
| Where do you talk to it? | In the Tolan app. Its FAQ says conversations within the app are logged and used to build your Tolan’s memory. | In Messages: iMessage on iPhone and Mac, Google Messages on Android. There’s no app to install. |
| Which phones does it work on? | “Tolan works on Apple devices, including iPhone, iPad and Mac.” The App Store listing requires iOS 18.0 or later. | iPhone and Android. She texts from a US number, and new Android sign-ups need a US number for now. |
| What do you see? | A character whose form you can switch and whose look you can style. The App Store listing says you can design a planet together. | A contact in your Messages. Her replies are text; she understands the photos, voice memos and links you send. |
| Does it reach out first? | Tolan says its character “checks in” and helps “even before you ask.” Its pages don’t say where check-ins arrive or how often. | After you’ve texted her, she starts conversations too, usually about something you told her. If you go quiet she checks in once or twice, then waits for you. Ask her to stop and she stops. |
| What does it remember? | Core notes, memories from past conversations and the current conversation. Overnight it condenses the day and keeps the most important memories. Tolan says “a detail can slip through the cracks.” You correct it in chat, or ask Tolan’s support to remove a wrong memory. | The people, plans and events you mention. She can miss a detail or get one wrong. There’s no memory screen, so you correct her in the thread. |
| Can you talk out loud or on video? | Voice and text chat in the app. Video chat and screen sharing are on paid plans; Tolan’s help pages differ on whether the Lite plan includes them. | Paid members can call her number like a regular phone call. She can’t call you, and there’s no FaceTime or video. |
| Does it do tasks? | Paid plans include Tabs, where your Tolan works on things such as meal plans, gift lists and trip plans, plus web search and image creation. | She helps you think things through and draft a text, and she can look things up. She doesn’t make images or work on documents for you. |
| How do you pay? | A free Tolan Basic tier, and three paid tiers: Lite (250 messages a day), Plus (600 a day) and Unlimited (no daily limit, monthly only). Tolan doesn’t publish prices on its site; it says current prices are shown in the app. | A subscription. Depending on the offer, your first conversation is free or you start with a free trial. There’s no free plan. The price is shown before you pay, and you can cancel any time in your account. |
Tolan: checked November 11, 2026 against tolans.com, the Tolan Help Center and the App Store listing. Hallie: checked November 11, 2026.
Hallie is an AI friend you text in Messages. She remembers what you tell her.
Meet HallieWhere Hallie is the better choice
Of the AI companions we’ve used, Hallie is the one that feels most like texting a person. That is our judgment, and we make her.
- You have an Android phone. Tolan’s help center describes Apple devices only. Hallie texts in Google Messages on Android and in iMessage on iPhone. New Android sign-ups need a US number for now.
- You don’t want another app. Tolan is downloaded from the App Store and you talk inside it. Hallie’s thread sits in Messages next to your other conversations, and on a Mac too.
- You want texts, in your texts. When Hallie starts a conversation, it arrives as a message in the thread you already use, usually about something you told her. Tolan says its character checks in but doesn’t say where those check-ins land.
- You want it to back off on its own. If you go quiet, Hallie checks in once or twice and then waits for you. Ask her to stop and she stops. Tolan’s pages don’t say how often its character checks in.
- You want a paid plan without a daily message limit. Tolan’s Lite and Plus tiers have daily limits of 250 and 600 messages; Unlimited has none. Hallie’s paid plans have no daily message limit.
Hallie’s watch-outs: she has no avatar and no world to explore, so what you see is a text thread.
Where Tolan is the better choice
- You want a character you can see. Tolan gives you a designed character whose form and style you can change, and a planet you design together.
- You mostly want to talk out loud. Voice chat is part of the Tolan app.
- You want video or screen sharing. Tolan offers both on paid plans.
Which one fits what you’d text
i don’t want another app, can i just text you
- Tolan: You download the app from the App Store and talk there.
- Hallie: Yes. She’s a thread in iMessage or Google Messages.
Better fit: Hallie.
my phone’s an android
- Tolan: Its help center says it works on Apple devices.
- Hallie: She texts in Google Messages on Android. New Android sign-ups need a US number for now.
Better fit: Hallie.
can i just show you my screen, it’s easier
- Tolan: Screen sharing and video chat are available on paid plans.
- Hallie: You can send her a photo or a screenshot, and she understands it.
Better fit: Tolan.
Switching from Tolan
- Your Tolan history stays put. Tolan’s privacy FAQ says conversation history doesn’t expire on its own and stays until you delete your account, so you can try Hallie without losing it.
- Start Hallie. Answer a few questions on hallie.io about how you like to text, then text her. She never texts a number that hasn’t texted her first.
- Tell her what’s current. Name the people who matter and what you’re in the middle of, in your own words, and she keeps track from there.
- Cancelling Tolan is a separate step. Tolan’s help center says you cancel in the app under Menu, Settings, Membership, and that subscriptions billed through the App Store are cancelled in your iPhone’s App Store settings.
More options are on Tolan alternatives.
Questions
Does Tolan work on Android?
Tolan’s help center says “Tolan works on Apple devices, including iPhone, iPad and Mac”, and its site offers an App Store download (checked November 11, 2026). Hallie works on Android through Google Messages, and on iPhone through iMessage. New Android sign-ups need a US number for now.
Is Hallie an app like Tolan?
No. There’s no app to install. She’s a contact in your Messages app, in iMessage or Google Messages. New Android sign-ups need a US number for now.
Does Hallie check in first, like a Tolan?
After you’ve texted her, yes. She starts conversations in the same thread, usually about something you told her. If you go quiet she checks in once or twice, then waits for you. Ask her to stop and she stops. She never texts a number that hasn’t texted her first.
Can I talk to Hallie out loud?
Yes, on a paid plan. Paid members can call her number like a regular phone call, and what you say on the call carries over to the thread.
Who sees what I tell Hallie?
Messages are processed by outside AI providers to write her replies. We don’t sell personal data, use conversations for advertising, or show them to other users. To delete your data, email hello@hallie.io.
How do I start with Hallie?
Answer a few questions on hallie.io about how you like to text, then text her from iMessage or Google Messages. New Android sign-ups need a US number for now. She never texts a number that hasn’t texted her first.
Sources
- Tolan homepage, tolans.com, checked November 11, 2026
- Tolan FAQ, tolans.com, checked November 11, 2026
- Tolan Help Center, “Logging in, Logging out, and Switching Devices”, checked November 11, 2026
- Tolan Help Center, “How your Tolan’s memory works” (October 9, 2026), checked November 11, 2026
- Tolan Help Center, “Video chat and screen sharing with your Tolan”, checked November 11, 2026
- Tolan Help Center, “What are the subscription options?”, checked November 11, 2026
- Tolan Help Center, “How do I cancel or change my subscription?”, checked November 11, 2026
- Tolan Help Center, “Privacy FAQ: How Tolan handles your information”, checked November 11, 2026
- Tolan App Store listing (seller AQP, Inc.; developer Portola), checked November 11, 2026
- Hallie: hallie.io, Hallie Privacy Policy (August 24, 2026) and Hallie Terms of Service (November 6, 2026), checked November 11, 2026
Keep reading
Hallie is one ready-made AI friend in your texts, in iMessage on iPhone or Google Messages on Android. Also compared: Pi, Sesame, Replika, Kindroid and Khio.
Hallie is an AI friend you text in Google Messages on Android, with no app to install. How to start, and the stated requirements for Kindroid, Gemini and ChatGPT’s dot.
Hallie is an AI friend you text in iMessage or Google Messages. Who she’s for, when another AI companion is the better pick, and links to every comparison, alternatives, texting and guide page, with facts checked on a stated date.
You'd rather get a text than open an app, and you want to be asked how it went.
Meet Hallie